by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding NW-SCC retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.
With 57% students making it past their freshmen year, NW-SCC has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Alabama, the average is 66.79%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| NW-SCC | 57% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Alabama | 66.79% |
There were approximately 295 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
Four years after beginning their degree, 16% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 19% of the students had graduated and after eight years 21% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical NW-SCC graduation rate 19%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 242 | 16% |
| Six Years | 295 | 19% |
| Eight Years | 26 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,193 | 79% |
Approximately 1193 students or 79% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1193 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
393 transferred to another institution.
NW-SCC lost contact with the remaining 781 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 393 | 32.9% |
| Dropped Out | 781 | 65.5% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at NW-SCC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.
First-time / full-time students at Northwest-Shoals Community College represent 60% of the students in the class of 2015, and 61.36% of NW-SCC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 16%, first-time students in the NW-SCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the NW-SCC graduation rate was 20%, and by the eight year mark, 21% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | NW-SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 16% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 20% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 21% | 47.82% |
718 first-time / full-time students or 79% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
183 transferred to another institution.
NW-SCC lost contact with the remaining 527 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 183 | 25.49% |
| Dropped Out | 527 | 73.40% |
First-time / part-time students at Northwest-Shoals Community College represent 15.85% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 13%, first-time, part-time students in the NW-SCC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 15%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | NW-SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 9% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 13% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 15% | 23.72% |
203 first-time / part-time students or 85% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
5 are still enrolled.
47 transferred to another institution.
NW-SCC lost contact with the remaining 151 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 5 | 2.46% |
| Transferred | 47 | 23.15% |
| Dropped Out | 151 | 74.38% |
175 NW-SCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 11.56% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 27%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 28%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | NW-SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 27% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 28% | 55.07% |
126 non first-time / part-time students or 72% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
65 transferred to another institution.
NW-SCC lost contact with the remaining 59 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.59% |
| Transferred | 65 | 51.59% |
| Dropped Out | 59 | 46.83% |
187 NW-SCC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.35% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 19%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 22%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | NW-SCC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 19% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 37.80% |
146 non first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
4 are still enrolled.
98 transferred to another institution.
NW-SCC lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 4 | 2.74% |
| Transferred | 98 | 67.12% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 30.14% |
